Albert Pujols: 10 Potential Trades That Could Ship the Slugger Out of St. Louis
Had you come to me a year ago and told me to consider the possibility of the St. Louis Cardinals trading Albert Pujols, I probably would have introduced your face to the back of my hand.
These days, the notion of the Cards trading away the game's best player is still pretty outlandish. But given the relative stand still in the negotiations to extend Pujols' contract, you have to say that it's no longer an impossibility.
After all, Pujols rejected the club's most recent contract extension offer, and it's more or less a foregone conclusion that a deal is not going to be struck by the mutual deadline of Wednesday at noon.
If they can't, Pujols officially goes into the season as a free agent-to-be. If it becomes apparent that the Cards are simply not going to be able to sign Pujols after the season, maybe, just maybe, they will consider trading him, and maybe he'll consider backing off his promise to veto any and all trades.
If so, here are 10 trades that could make sense for the Cardinals.
Note: I'm banking on the idea that nobody would trade for Pujols just so they can have him as a rental, so I approached these trades under the notion that each team would look to retain him after the 2011 season.
10. San Francisco Giants
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Of all the teams on this list, the Giants are the one that I'm the most hesitant about. For one, I highly doubt that they would be able to afford Pujols thanks to the awful contracts they handed out to Barry Zito and Aaron Roward. Secondly, I'm just not so sure that Pujols would fit in with the team.
Nevertheless, the Giants are the prize of the Bay Area, and they do have prospects that they can deal, so what the heck.
Put simply, if Cardinals GM John Mozeliak were to look for pitching in return for Pujols, he need look no further than the Giants. One guy that could probably be had is Madison Bumgarner. He's only 21, and he looks like the kind of guy who has tremendous upside. If they could somehow get the Giants to cough up him and Brandon Belt, we might have ourselves a deal.
9. New York Yankees
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Before you say anything, I'm not as stupid as you're probably thinking right now. After all, I've been dealing with the Yankees my whole life, and I like to think that I'm as familiar with their treachery as anyone.
My reasoning here is this; if Hank Steinbrenner can walk into Brian Cashman's office and command him to sign Rafael Soriano, what's to stop him from waltzing in there and demanding Albert Pujols?
Well, the fact that they have Mark Teixeira at first base might be one hitch. But such concerns are immaterial for a member of the Steinbrenner clan. If they can get Pujols, Teixeira can DH, and Posada can gets his backside back behind the plate for the short remainder of his career.
As for what it would take to get Pujols, I'm thinking a package of Brett Gardner, Phil Hughes, and prospects might do the trick. But if Mozeliak asked for him, he could probably have Jesus Montero as well.
If the Yanks were to get Pujols, I know that I for one would probably give up on baseball altogether.
8. Baltimore Orioles
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Okay, I realize there was a little bit of tomfoolery going on in that last slide, and I apologize for that.
Now then, the Orioles. I suppose the most pressing question would be whether or not they could afford Pujols, which is a legit concern. However, this is the same team that wanted to sign Teixeira a couple years ago, so Peter Angelos must have something tucked away.
As for that the Orioles could send the other way in a trade for Pujols, they have a pair of good young lefties in Brian Matusz and Zach Britton. It's unlikely that the O's would part with both of them, but the Cards could probably get one of them and Manny Machado, with maybe a couple other throw-ins.
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7. Toronto Blue Jays
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The Blue Jays are another team I'm hesitant to add to this list, as I think there are a number of things that will have to happen in order for them to even bother to inquire about Pujols.
The first is that they're going to have to be in contention, which is no sure thing given the current makeup of the AL East. Second, they're going to need their biggest trade chip, Jose Bautista, to be performing at or near the level he did last season.
If he is, then the Jays have themselves a star that the Cards could want. Bautista is set to become a free agent after the season, but he will certainly be cheaper than Pujols, and signing him would probably allow the Cards to pick up Chris Carpenter's option.
Of course, Bautista alone won't get the job done. The Jays would also probably have to ship either Kyle Drabek (pictured) and/or maybe Brandon Morrow the other way.
6. New York Mets
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I don't think anybody has accused the Mets of making wise personnel moves in the last decade. I mean, shoot, even the Johan Santana deal is starting to look like a bust.
That being said, if Sandy Alderson were to find a way to bring Pujols to Queens, nobody would be able to call him an idiot with any amount of sincerity.
Financially, the Mets will actually be in an ideal position after this season. Carlos Beltran and Oliver Perez will be off the payroll, and Francisco Rodriguez could be too. That's a lot of money.
Indeed, the issue is who they could send to St. Louis. You have to think that Mozeliak will want Ike Davis, and he might even demand David Wright. The Mets don't have much in the way of top-level prospects, but they could part with Wilmer Flores if it came to it.
If the Mets did land Pujols... man, can you imagine how crazy New York would go?
5. Atlanta Braves
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It looks like the Braves are pretty much going to go with a first baseman-by-committee rotation this year, with Freddie Freeman getting the bulk of the time.
Regardless of who they have at first, the Braves are going to be up against it as long as the Phillies and their stacked rotation are in the East.
Unless, of course, they can get Pujols...
It will probably take a package centered around Julio Teheran to do the trick, and they might even have to include Freeman in the deal as well.
The money aspect is a little tricky, as the Braves already have quite a bit of money invested in Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, and Derek Lowe. However, all three will be off the books in 2013 (Jones will probably retire after this season, but he'll still be on the payroll). That's over $30 million that is suddenly available.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
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It goes without saying that the future of the Dodgers organization is a little up in the air right now. But let's go ahead and pretend for a second that the club is going to have a square head on its shoulders at or near the trade deadline this season, and that they're going to be in contention in the NL West.
Exactly how much money the Dodgers have to throw around is a little iffy, but what they do have are a bunch of good young players. Chief among these is center fielder Matt Kemp. He may have had a down year in 2010, but he's still only 26, and he's still freakishly talented.
Another player the Cardinals could ask for would be Clayton Kershaw, who is going to be 23 when the season starts. Provided he can continue to improve on his control, he has all the trappings of a perennial Cy Young contender.
If the Cardinals were so inclined, they might even be able to convince the Dodgers to throw James Loney into the pot as well, which would give them a capable replacement option at first base.
3. Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim
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After a disappointing campaign in 2010, Tony Reagins and the Angels set their sights on making a splash by signing a big name free agent. As everybody already knows, the one guy they coveted above all others was Carl Crawford, but he ended up taking his talents to Boston instead.
In place of Crawford, the Angels went out and acquired Vernon Wells. Combined with a healthy Kendry Morales and a very solid starting rotation, the Angels should be good for 2011.
But make no mistake, they are no longer one of baseball's elite teams. Obviously, Pujols would change that.
The financial aspect would indeed be tricky, but helping matters is the fact that Torii Hunter will be off the books in 2013. As far as actually acquiring Pujols, they'll probably have to put together a package revolving around either Morales or 19-year-old outfield prospect Mike Trout, who we have as the best prospect in all of baseball.
2. Texas Rangers
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With Nolan Ryan at the helm, and a World Series appearance fresh in their rear view mirror, the Texas Rangers could be on the verge of becoming the next great powerhouse team in the American League.
Helping matters, of course, is the fact that they have plenty of good young arms, and talent around the horn on the infield. They also have Josh Hamilton, who last I checked is pretty good.
But are they better than the Red Sox or Yankees? Not quite.
Will they be if they get Pujols? Yes.
And indeed, it just so happens that they have a disgruntled player they need to get rid of in Michael Young. If they can bring themselves to part with somebody like Martin Perez and a few other prospects, they might have themselves a deal.
1. Washington Nationals
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If the Jayson Werth signing is any indication, the Nationals may have more money than one might think.
To be sure, I am well aware that their pockets probably aren't deep enough to afford to pay Pujols $30 million a year for a decade. However, they can offer the Cardinals something for Pujols that no other club could hope to match.
That would be the incomparable Bryce Harper. The dude is just 18, and he is a once-in-a-generation prospect.
Harper is so good, in fact, that even I think it would be foolish for the Nationals to trade him away. But it also seems to me that the organization is in a pretty big hurry to win, and Pujols can help them do so much quicker than Harper can.
If by some miracle this deal were to come to fruition, you honestly wouldn't be able to say that either side got the short end of the stick.
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